The Director-General of Health has announced there is one new Covid-19 case in managed isolation and 13 new cases in the community in New Zealand today.
Speaking at today's Government media conference, Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the 13 new cases are all in Auckland and linked to the four cases initially confirmed earlier this week.
Dr Bloomfield also added an aged care facility in the Waikato will have all its staff and residents tested because one of the new cases visited it before displaying symptoms the next day.
Dr Bloomfield said he wouldn't name the facility yet as family members were still being notified.
It comes after Auckland returned to a Level 3 lockdown yesterday after a family in the city had four cases confirmed without knowing the origin of the infection on Tuesday night. The rest of the country moved back to Alert Level 2.
The new figures mean New Zealand has 36 active cases and the country's overall confirmed and probable cases moves to 1594.
Dr Bloomfield said the new managed-isolation case is a woman in her 30s who arrived in New Zealand from the Philippines on August 8. She tested positive on day three of her stay.
Dr Bloomfield then discussed the 13 new community cases, saying they are now treating the situation in Auckland as a cluster.
"What we know about clusters is that they do continue to grow so we fully expect there will be further cases."
One case is the student at Mt Albert Grammar school in Auckland who is a relative of the previously-confirmed cases. The student was not symptomatic at school and has not been at school since becoming unwell and being tested, so the chances of infection at the school is considered low currently.
One of those infected with Covid-19 earlier in the week worked at Americold.
Three new cases are employees at Americold - the workplace of one of the previously-reported cases. Another seven new cases are family members of these employees.
Another positive test is from an employee of Finance Now - the other workplace of one the previously reported cases - who was admitted to hospital overnight but has since been discharged.
The final case is a family member of that Finance Now employee.
Dr Bloomfield added there is still one probable case of Covid-19 in the community which is also linked to the outbreak.
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